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On the Analysis of Optical Mapping Data - University of Wisconsin ...

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viii<br />

ABSTRACT<br />

Whole genome analysis <strong>of</strong> variation is becoming possible with improved biotechnology,<br />

and this is anticipated to have pr<strong>of</strong>ound implications for biology and medicine. Ideally,<br />

one would like to record a sampled genome at <strong>the</strong> nucleotide level, but this goal remains<br />

beyond our reach in spite <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> fact that we now have a finished reference copy for several<br />

species. Using well-defined genomic markers, physical maps represent a genome at a lower<br />

resolution than nucleotide sequence. In particular, optical mapping produces physical maps<br />

based on coordinates <strong>of</strong> recognition sites <strong>of</strong> specific restriction enzymes. <strong>Optical</strong> mapping is<br />

well developed for small (e.g. microbial) genomes, and recent advances have enabled optical<br />

mapping <strong>of</strong> mammalian-sized genomes as well. This development, however, raises important<br />

new computational and statistical questions. The availability <strong>of</strong> reference genomes has been<br />

instrumental in <strong>the</strong> development <strong>of</strong> methods based on optical mapping to detect withinspecies<br />

variation, by serving as <strong>the</strong> basis for comparison with a sampled genome. Reference<br />

copies also open up o<strong>the</strong>r, less obvious, possibilities that impact <strong>the</strong> understanding and<br />

statistical analysis <strong>of</strong> optical mapping data. In this <strong>the</strong>sis we explore some such possibilities,<br />

particularly in <strong>the</strong> context <strong>of</strong> large genomes. In particular, we address parameter estimation<br />

in optical map models, <strong>the</strong> assessment <strong>of</strong> significance <strong>of</strong> optical map alignments, and <strong>the</strong> use<br />

<strong>of</strong> optical map data to detect copy number alterations.

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